MIAMI GARDENS - Terron Armstead was speaking recently about Tua Tagovailoa 2.0.

Oh, there's been a natural progression of leadership that any quarterback would have over the course of his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins.

But we say Tua 2.0 because it's almost jarring how differently Tua has been carrying himself - and speaking publicly - since becoming a husband and a father.

And yes, since securing his place as the face of the Dolphins franchise with a $212 million contract.

Tua, Terron said, has been growing and progressing and become more vocal. But a word Terron specifically chose in his praise really stood out.

Terron said Tua has now got a "swagger" about him.

And that's what makes this Tua, Tua 2.0.

This Tua Tagovailoa is carrying himself differently

Tua was so open and vulnerable and transparent in an introductory news conference with local reporters, after securing a financial future for he and his family.

And Tua recently said something that would have seemed so, so un-Tua-like just a few years ago, in an interview with Danny Kanell and Leger Douzable on Sirius XM Radio.

"It's cool to be friendly," Tua said. "All cool. But for us, I think that's the step we took further this year, as a team. That I'm able to look at you, as my teammate, and I'm able to tell you what you need to work on. And you're able to tell me the same thing? And that's it. Big brother, little brother. Little brother, big brother, whatever that looks like. Accountability. But that's why you create those relationships off the field. So that you know where I'm coming from. It's all out of love. It's all out of respect. But if you're not helping me get to where we need to be as a team, we don't need you. And if I can't tell you that? Get out."

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Tua was 22 when he entered the league. Now he's 26.

In Polynesian culture, respect for elders is always paramount.

In his first two years, the personality meshing of harsh former coach Brian Flores and Tua was a disaster.

Now, under coach Mike McDaniel, and with the support of the organization, Tua has grown his confidence to where he can tell it like it is to any teammate - younger, or older.

That is so essential. Tua needed to get to this moment.

Miami Dolphins benefit from matured, 26-year-old Tua Tagovailoa

In a recent practice, superstar receiver Tyreek Hill ran the wrong route.

And Tua made the correction.

"He came and told me, ‘Come on, ‘Reek, I need you in the right spot,’" Hill said.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

Tyreek noted this summer that Tua has gotten players together - at the field and at his home.

"This year, he’s really honing in on the guys, hanging out, building that camaraderie with each other, that’s a beautiful thing, man," Tyreek said. "For him to have such leadership within that and to be a family man, it’s a beautiful thing. He’s growing. He’s growing, and you can obviously see it."

Tua Tagovailoas has already led the NFL in passer rating, passing yards, passer rating on third down and passer rating in the red zone.

Tua is clearly one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the league.

And now he's in top-flight condition, better prepared for roll-outs or scrambles.

And now he's refined his throwing technique to where deeper passes come easier.

But anyone and everyone knows that what brings a quarterback from good to very good and then very good to absolutely elite is not on-the-field skills, but the tangibles.

Tua is tangibly better at tangibles, now that he's matured.

And that should make a huge difference.

Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: This Tua Tagovailoa is assertive and holding Miami Dolphins accountable | Schad